Fire sprinkler assembly

ABSTRACT

A fire sprinkler assembly includes a flexible conduit; and an integral hub and bracket assembly comprising: a bracket hub coupled to a bracket bar; and an adjustable drop integrally formed with the bracket hub, the adjustable drop defining a lengthwise axis oriented transverse to the bracket bar, the flexible conduit coupled to the adjustable drop; and a sprinkler head extending from the adjustable drop.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/728,681, filed Dec. 27, 2019, which is a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/354,356, filed Nov. 17, 2016, which issued intoU.S. Pat. No. 10,561,872 on Feb. 18, 2020, each of which are herebyspecifically incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to fire sprinkler assemblies and, moreparticularly, to an adjustable drop that allows modification of aposition of a sprinkler head.

Discussion of Related Art

A typical automatic fire sprinkler system includes a network of pipesthat carry a fire suppression fluid, e.g., water, to one or more roomsin a building. Conduit sections carry the fluid from the pipes tosprinkler heads strategically located in different rooms. The positionand orientation of each sprinkler head is typically maintained in placeby a support assembly. When the room reaches an elevated temperature dueto a fire, the sprinkler head is activated, allowing a stream of firesuppression fluid to be directed over the intended area of coverage.During operation, the fluid pressure at the sprinkler head can reach ashigh as 175 psi, generating significant back pressure on the sprinklersupport system. The support assembly is used to hold the sprinklersecurely in place during operation.

Due to variations in drop ceiling heights, it may be necessary to adjustthe height of the sprinkler head during or after installation.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a firesprinkler assembly including an adjustable drop and bracket hub thatreduces installation time and allows adjustment of sprinkler head heightand orientation in regards to standard commercial application on asuspended T-Bar grid system for the fire protection industry.

Disclosed is a fire sprinkler assembly comprising a flexible conduit;and an integral hub and bracket assembly comprising: a bracket hubcoupled to a bracket bar; and an adjustable drop integrally formed withthe bracket hub, the adjustable drop defining a lengthwise axis orientedtransverse to the bracket bar, the flexible conduit coupled to theadjustable drop; and a sprinkler head extending from the adjustabledrop.

Also disclosed is a fire sprinkler assembly comprising a bracket bar; abracket hub defining an inverted U-shaped opening, the inverted U-shapedopening configured to be lowered onto the bracket bar during assembly; aflexible conduit; and an adjustable drop coupled to the bracket hub andto the flexible conduit, wherein a lengthwise axis of the adjustabledrop is oriented transverse to the bracket bar.

A fire sprinkler assembly according to exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure can comprise a bracket hub coupled to a bracket bar; aflexible conduit; an adjustable drop coupled to the bracket hub, theadjustable drop defining a lengthwise axis oriented transverse to thebracket bar, and the adjustable drop comprising: an inner casing,wherein the flexible conduit is directly coupled to the inner casing;and an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, the inner and outercasings including corresponding threading to permit rotation between theinner casing and the outer casing to adjust an axial height, along thelengthwise axis, of the inner casing; and a sprinkler head extendingfrom the adjustable drop.

A fire sprinkler assembly according to exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure can comprise a bracket hub coupled to a bracket bar; aflexible metal conduit; and an adjustable drop coupled to the brackethub and to the flexible metal conduit, wherein a lengthwise axis of theadjustable drop is oriented transverse to the bracket bar, and whereinthe adjustable drop comprises: an inner casing including threading,wherein the flexible metal conduit is directly coupled to the innercasing; and an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, the outercasing including mating threading for engagement with the threading ofthe inner casing, wherein the threading and mating threading permitrotation between the inner casing and the outer casing to adjust anaxial height, along the lengthwise axis, of a sprinkler head coupled toa distal end of the inner casing.

A method for adjusting a height of an adjustable drop can compriseproviding the adjustable drop, the adjustable drop comprising an innercasing and an outer casing, the outer casing comprising a first end walland a second end wall, the inner casing comprising a bellow, the bellowcomprising a first tube and a support ring; rotating the outer casingupward towards the first tube; contacting the support ring with thesecond end wall; and contracting the bellow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary approaches of thedisclosure, including the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fire sprinkler assembly according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bracket hub of the fire sprinklerassembly of FIG. 1 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the bracket hub of the fire sprinkler assemblyof FIG. 2 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable drop of the fire sprinklerassembly of FIG. 1 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 4 according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 4 according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of an inner casing of the adjustabledrop of FIG. 4 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a side cutaway view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 4 accordingto exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fire sprinkler assembly according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a side view of an adjustable drop of the fire sprinklerassembly of FIG. 9 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 10 according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 10 according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a side perspective view of an inner casing of the adjustabledrop of FIG. 10 according to exemplary approaches of the disclosure; and

FIG. 14 is a cutaway view of the adjustable drop of FIG. 10 according toexemplary approaches of the disclosure.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merelyrepresentations, not intended to portray specific parameters of thedisclosure. Furthermore, the drawings are intended to depict exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure, and therefore is not considered aslimiting in scope.

Furthermore, certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, orillustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectionalviews may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectionalviews, omitting certain background lines otherwise visible in a “true”cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity. Furthermore, forclarity, some reference numbers may be omitted in certain drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will now proceed with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which various approaches are shown. It will beappreciated, however, that the disclosed approaches may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theapproaches set forth herein. Rather, these approaches are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In thedrawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

As used herein, an element or operation recited in the singular andproceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as notexcluding plural elements or operations, unless such exclusion isexplicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one approach” of thepresent disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding theexistence of additional approaches that also incorporate the recitedfeatures.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “central,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used hereinfor ease of describing one element's relationship to another element(s)as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatiallyrelative terms may encompass different orientations of the device in useor operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

As stated above, exemplary approaches herein provided a fire sprinklerassembly including a bracket hub coupled to a bracket bar, and anadjustable drop coupled to the bracket hub. The adjustable drop mayinclude an inner casing including threading disposed on an outer surfacethereof, and an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, and to permitrotation between the inner casing and the outer casing to adjust anaxial height, along a lengthwise axis, of the inner casing. In someapproaches, a flexible metal conduit is directly coupled to a distal endof the inner casing or the outer casing of the adjustable drop. As usedthroughout the description and claims, the term “proximal” refers to aposition of the that is located towards the bracket bar, while the term“distal” refers to a position that is located towards the sprinklerhead.

In some approaches, the inner casing includes a bellow disposed withinan interior cavity of the outer casing, permitting contraction orexpansion of the inner casing. The bellow may be connected directly(e.g., welded) to the bracket hub and/or the flexible metal conduit, andmay include turn threads that expand or retract the bellow body based onthe direction the bellow is rotated. A sprinkler head is threaded intothe bottom side of the bellow drop, while the metal flexible conduit maybe threaded into the top side of the bellow. Once assembled, aninstaller can more effectively adjust the sprinkler head height andorientation, for example, using a keying feature formed in a distal endof the outer casing.

In other approaches, the inner casing includes one or more gaskets, andthe bracket hub is coupled (e.g., welded) to the outer casing formounting on the bracket bar. The sprinkler head is threaded into thedistal end of the gasket, and the flexible metal conduit is threadedinto the proximal end of the outer casing. Once the hose is mounted intothe bracket hub and the bracket hub is mounted into the bracket bar, aninstaller can adjusted sprinkler head height and orientation, forexample, using a keying feature formed in a distal end of the outercasing.

FIG. 1 shows a fire sprinkler assembly (hereinafter “assembly”) 100,which may be a wet or dry-type fire suppression sprinkler assembly,according to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. As shown, thesprinkler assembly 100 may include a sprinkler body or adjustable drop106 coupled to a flexible conduit 110. The sprinkler assembly 100 mayfurther include a bracket hub 112 coupling the adjustable drop 106 to abracket bar 114. A thermally responsive sprinkler head 116 extendsdownward from the adjustable drop 106, through an opening in a ceilingor wall (not shown), and into an environment to be protected. Theassembly 100 may be mounted within a ceiling having a ceiling frame ofrectangular frame sections, such as bracket bar 114, arranged in a gridpattern. In some embodiments the ceiling frame may be a suspendedceiling.

The adjustable drop 106 acts as a conduit for a fire suppressant. In theevent of a fire, a thermally responsive device 118 of the sprinkler head116 reacts to heat generated by a fire to allow fluid to flow throughthe adjustable drop 106 and into a deflector 120, where the fluid isdispersed outwardly to extinguish the fire. Although a fluid commonlyused in such dry sprinklers is water, other fire retardant fluidsincluding nitrogen and halogen, may also be used in various embodiments.

In exemplary embodiments, the adjustable drop 106 is secured to theceiling by the bracket hub 112, which is shown in greater detail inFIGS. 2-3 . In some embodiments, the bracket hub 112 may be a hubassembly including a primary support 157 including a set of laterallyextending tabs 151A-B, which may mount to the bracket bar 114 via theset of fasteners 155A-B, and a secondary support 153 that is rotatablyconnected to the primary support 157. The secondary support 153 rotatesrelative to the primary support 157 about a pin 158 between an openposition (not shown) and a closed position (shown). The primary support157 and secondary support 153 are each formed having cut out portions160, 162, so that when the secondary support 153 is in the closedposition relative to the primary support 157, the cut out portion 160formed in the primary support 157 cooperates with the cut out portion162 formed in the secondary support 153 to define a hub openingconfigured to receive and securely retain the adjustable drop 106therein. When the bracket hub 112 is secured to the bracket bar 114, thehub opening may coincide with an opening through the ceiling. Inaddition, the bracket hub 112 includes a locking mechanism 164 thatselectively connects the primary support 157 to the secondary support153, and an adjustment mechanism 166 (e.g., a set screw) provided on theprimary support 157 is used to secure the position of the sprinkler body112 within the hub opening.

The flexible conduit 110 may include a flexible portion that comprises,for example, a corrugated tube, a hose, or a braided tube, which can bemade from known materials including metal, rubber, etc. In an exemplaryembodiment, the flexible conduit 110 is corrugated metal with a braidedmetal covering, which is joined to the bracket hub 112 by welding orscrew connectors. The flexible conduit 110 may be flexible along itsentire length, or may include one or more flexible portions adjacentmore rigid portions. In one non-limiting embodiment, the flexibleconduit 110 may have a low elasticity so that when bent into a desiredposition, the flexible conduit 110 it maintains its shape and does notreturn to its original position.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-8 , the adjustable drop 106 according toembodiments of the disclosure will be described in greater detail. Asshown, the adjustable drop 106 includes an inner casing 122concentrically arranged within an outer casing 124. The inner and outercasings 122, 124 are permitted to rotate relative to one another toadjust an axial height, along a lengthwise axis A-A (FIG. 8 ). Toaccomplish this, the inner casing 122 may include external threading 126for engagement with corresponding internal threading 128 of the outercasing 124. In exemplary embodiments, the inner casing 122 may include abellow 135 having an expandable/elastic central component 134, and afirst tube 130 directly coupled to the bracket hub 112. The bellow 135may further include a second tube 132 configured to receive thesprinkler head 116 therein, e.g., via an internal threaded connection.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the bellow 135 extends entirely through the outercasing 124, while the expandable central component 134 is containedwithin an interior cavity 138 (FIG. 7 ) of the outer casing 124. Theinterior cavity 138 is defined by a side wall 140 extending between thefirst end wall 142 and the second end wall 144 disposed on oppositesides of the central component 134. This arrangement of the bellow 135eliminates points of connection, and thus potential leakage spots withinthe interior cavity 138, between the inner and outer casings 122, 124.In exemplary embodiments, the central component 134 is coupled to, orintegrally formed with, the first and second tubes 130, 132, and isprovided to permit movement of the first tube 130 relative to the secondtube 132.

The bellow 135 may be formed of metal, such as stainless steel, arrangedin a mesh-like or woven pattern. In certain embodiments, the bellow 135may be constructed by hydro-forming thin-walled tubing to produceconvolutions, inserting a spiral-wound liner into the convolutions, andthen welding or otherwise securing the liner in place to form aplurality of ring or screw-shaped corrugations 145.

In various embodiments, the bellow 135 can be made as a single-wall ormultiple-wall structure. If a multiple-wall structure is used, theseparate layers of the wall may be made of different materials,especially in view of corrosion effects which might differentiallyaffect materials used in the adjustable drop 106. The cross-sectionalshape need not be circular, but may be oval, which is used sometimes toproperly fit the conduit element within available space. It will beappreciated that the material, internal diameter, external diameter, andlength of the bellow 135 may vary depending on the geometry of theinternal cavity 138 of the outer casing 124.

As further shown, a distal end 146 of the bellow 135 includes a supportring 148 at the intersection of the bellow 135 and the second tube 132.In exemplary embodiments, the support ring 148 is a rigid elementpositioned directly adjacent an interior surface 150 of the second endwall 144. During use, the interior surface 150 of the second end wall144 engages the support ring 148 to cause the second tube 132 to movetowards the first tube 130 along the longitudinal axis A-A. For example,to raise the sprinkler head 116, an installer may rotate the outercasing 124 upwards towards the first tube 130, thus causing the secondend wall 144 to make contact with the support ring 148, which contractsthe bellow 135. As a result, an overall height ‘H’ of the adjustabledrop 106 is reduced, raising the sprinkler head 116 relative to thebracket bar 114. Conversely, to lower the sprinkler head 116, theinstaller may rotate the outer casing 124 downwards towards the secondtube 132, thus allowing the bellow 135 to expand along the lengthwiseaxis A-A. As a result, an overall height ‘H’ of the adjustable drop 106is increased, which lowers the sprinkler head 116 relative to thebracket bar 114.

In some embodiments, a keying feature 154, such as a recess or slot, maybe formed in a distal end 156 of the outer casing 124 to assist theinstaller. The keying feature 154 is configured to receive acorresponding mating male tool or device, which enables rotation of theouter casing 124 about the inner casing 122.

FIG. 9 shows a fire sprinkler assembly (hereinafter “assembly”) 200,which may be a wet or dry-type fire suppression sprinkler assembly,according to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. As shown, theassembly 200 may include a sprinkler body or adjustable drop 206 coupledto a flexible conduit 210. The sprinkler assembly 200 may furtherinclude a bracket hub 212 coupling an adjustable drop 206 to a bracketbar 214. As shown, the adjustable drop has a lengthwise axis B-B, whichis transverse (e.g., perpendicular) to bracket bar and/or the brackethub 212. A thermally responsive sprinkler head 216 extends downward fromthe adjustable drop 206, through an opening in a ceiling or wall, andinto an environment to be protected. The assembly 200 may be mounted toa ceiling frame of rectangular frame sections, such as the bracket bar214, arranged in a grid pattern.

The adjustable drop 206 includes an inner casing 222 concentricallyarranged within the outer casing 224. As will be described in greaterdetail below, the inner and outer casing 222, 224 include correspondingthreading that permits rotation therebetween to adjust an axial height,along a central axis of rotation B-B, of the inner casing 222 and thesprinkler head 216 relative to the bracket bar 214. In exemplaryembodiments, the flexible metal conduit 210 is directly coupled to aproximal end 215 of the outer casing 224, for example, via internalthreading 211 (FIG. 14 ).

The adjustable drop 206 may be secured to the ceiling by the bracket hub212, which is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 10-12 . In someembodiments, the bracket hub 212 is coupled to, or integrally formedwith (e.g., welded), the proximal end 215 of the outer casing 224 of theadjustable drop 206. As shown, the bracket hub 212 includes a first side217, which in some embodiments is a semicircle formed about acircumference of the outer casing 224, and a second side 219 includingan arm 221, which extends around the bracket bar 214. For example, thebracket hub 212 may include an inverted U-shape opening 223, whichenables the bracket hub 212 to be easily lowered atop the bracket bar214 during assembly. A set of openings 225 formed through a top wall 227of the bracket hub 212 may receive fasteners (not shown), such as screwsor bolts, etc., to further secure the bracket hub 212 to the bracket bar214.

Turning now to FIGS. 13-14 , the adjustable drop 206 according toembodiments of the disclosure will be described in greater detail. Asshown, the inner casing 222 is radially and concentrically arrangedinternal to the outer casing 224. In exemplary embodiments, the innerand outer casings 222, 224 are telescoping conduits, which are permittedto rotate/slide relative to one another to adjust an axial height, alongthe lengthwise axis B-B, of the inner casing 222. To accomplish this,the inner casing 222 may include external threading 226 matingly engagedwith corresponding internal threading 228 of the outer casing 224. At aproximal end 233 of the inner casing 222, a set of notches 237 areprovided circumferentially about the inner casing 222 to receive a setof O-rings 239 therein. The set of notches 237 and O-rings 239 provide aliquid/air tight seal between an inner surface 247 of the outer casing224 and an outer surface 249 of the inner casing 222. A distal end 241of the inner casing 222 includes threading 243 to engage and retain thesprinkler head 216 (FIG. 9 ) therein.

During use, for example when raising the sprinkler head 216, aninstaller may rotate the inner casing 222 upwards towards the bracketbar 214, thus causing the proximal end 233 of the inner casing 222 tomove within an interior cavity 238 of the outer casing 224, towards tothe proximal end 215 of the outer casing 224. As a result, an overallheight ‘H’ of the adjustable drop 206 is reduced, thus raising thesprinkler head 216. The threaded connection between the inner and outercasings 222, 224 maintains the position of the inner casing 222 relativeto the outer casing 224. Conversely, to lower the sprinkler head 216,the installer may rotate the inner casing 222 downwards and away fromthe bracket bar 214, causing the proximal end 233 of the inner casing222 to rotate/slide lower within the internal cavity 238 of the outercasing 224, thus increasing the overall height ‘H’ of the adjustabledrop 206. In some embodiments, a keying feature 254, such as a recess orslot, may be formed in the distal end 241 of the inner casing 222 toassist the installer. The keying feature 254 is configured to receive acorresponding mating male tool or device, which enables rotation of theinner casing 222 relative to the outer casing 224.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the disclosure advantageouslyreduce installation time for hose positive attachment to a bracketsystem using the herein described adjustable drop, which permitsadjustment of sprinkler head height and orientation. This provides anadvantage over previous approaches in which pre-installed sprinklerheads are inserted into metal hoses prior to reaching the customerinstallation site. This provides a further advantage over previous adhoc solutions in which hose drop tic marks are provided along anexterior of the sprinkler assembly to visually indicate height of thesprinkler head to the installer.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tocertain approaches, numerous modifications, alterations and changes tothe described approaches are possible without departing from the sphereand scope of the present disclosure, as defined in the appended claims.Accordingly, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limitedto the described approaches, but that it has the full scope defined bythe language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof. While thedisclosure has been described with reference to certain approaches,numerous modifications, alterations and changes to the describedapproaches are possible without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosure, as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, it isintended that the present disclosure not be limited to the describedapproaches, but that it has the full scope defined by the language ofthe following claims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fire sprinkler assembly comprising: a flexibleconduit; an integral hub and bracket assembly comprising: a bracket hubcoupled to a bracket bar; and an adjustable drop integrally formed withthe bracket hub, the adjustable drop defining a lengthwise axis orientedtransverse to the bracket bar, the flexible conduit coupled to theadjustable drop; and a sprinkler head extending from the adjustabledrop; wherein the adjustable drop integrally formed with the bracket hubis welded to the bracket hub, the bracket hub having an invertedU-shaped opening offset to one side of the adjustable drop'slongitudinal axis and the bracket hub also having a side openingtransverse to the inverted U-shaped opening where the transverse sideopening is welded to the offset side of the adjustable drop.
 2. The firesprinkler assembly of claim 1, wherein the adjustable drop comprises aninner casing and an outer casing surrounding the inner casing, theflexible conduit directly coupled to the outer casing.
 3. The firesprinkler assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the inner casing and theouter casing include corresponding threading configured to permitrotation between the inner casing and the outer casing to adjust anaxial height of the inner casing along the lengthwise axis.
 4. The firesprinkler assembly of claim 1, wherein the sprinkler head comprises athermally responsive device and a deflector, the thermally responsivedevice configured to react to heat generated by a fire to allow water toflow to the deflector, the deflector configured to outwardly dispersethe water.
 5. The fire sprinkler assembly of claim 1, wherein theflexible conduit comprises one of a corrugated tube, a hose, and abraided tube.